How could someone without Football experience learn the game?

[towerbooks3192]

I bought FM from 2010 up to 2013 and still thinking if I should be getting 2014. My problem is that I don't know how to get in to the game as my knowledge on football is only limited to its basic rules. I don't have a clue about the professional world and things like the leagues and whatnot.I know that I have been dropping in and out every year and failing to learn the game no matter how hard I try. Is there an easy way for someone like me to learn the game and should I refrain from buying the latest FMs until I could play one enough to understand and enjoy it?

Lastly, I heard FM14 handheld has a my club mode, does the PC version allow you to create your own club?

[Ackter]

A friend of mine plays FM and has no football knowledge at all - but he's an old school RPG player. To him it's just a stats based game like Baldur's Gate.

[YKW]

You don't watch any football?

Pick a random team in the world to be "yours" and start watching highlights of their games. Combine this with starting an FM game in control of that team. That could be fun. Using real fixtures if possible, then you can play along with real life.

[towerbooks3192]

A friend of mine plays FM and has no football knowledge at all - but he's an old school RPG player. To him it's just a stats based game like Baldur's Gate.

In terms of experience, I usually play strategy/4x and games like Europa Universalis IV/Crusader Kings 2, to something as complicated as hearts of iron and a bit of wargame like advanced tactics gold and decisive campaigns. I just don't know how to really start getting in to the game as I usually learned throught LPs off youtube but the LPs for FM is where the one doing it plays a club they are familiar with and knows the players and a lot about the sport. I really want to get in to the game as I have started from 2010 and then got 11,12,and 13 but never really got in to the game.

[towerbooks3192]

You don't watch any football?

Pick a random team in the world to be "yours" and start watching highlights of their games. Combine this with starting an FM game in control of that team. That could be fun. Using real fixtures if possible, then you can play along with real life.

Not a single football. Australia have their own football and we don't subscribe to the sports channel so its hard for me to watch actual games. SBS rarely shows any football games.

[MSCCG]

I bought FM from 2010 up to 2013 and still thinking if I should be getting 2014. My problem is that I don't know how to get in to the game as my knowledge on football is only limited to its basic rules. I don't have a clue about the professional world and things like the leagues and whatnot.I know that I have been dropping in and out every year and failing to learn the game no matter how hard I try. Is there an easy way for someone like me to learn the game and should I refrain from buying the latest FMs until I could play one enough to understand and enjoy it?

Lastly, I heard FM14 handheld has a my club mode, does the PC version allow you to create your own club?

I started on FIFA and played manager mode, then moved on to FIFA Manager, then landed on Football manager. I learned about several teams and learned the basic rules on FIFA and by playing in real life, then got the rest of my knowledge by picking a big team in a well known league and playing it for a few seasons. Eventually you learn. Ironically my learning seems to have stalled now, may have to find another source of knowledge.

[towerbooks3192]

I started on FIFA and played manager mode, then moved on to FIFA Manager, then landed on Football manager. I learned about several teams and learned the basic rules on FIFA and by playing in real life, then got the rest of my knowledge by picking a big team in a well known league and playing it for a few seasons. Eventually you learn. Ironically my learning seems to have stalled now, may have to find another source of knowledge.

I also tried that, though I sort of get the gist of FIFA, some things like formations and player roles are what bothers me and what made me stop with FIFA was the need to focus more on my skills in controlling the player than on my managing skills. I have to say that even FM classic is pretty daunting for me.

[Auqakuh]

I started on FIFA and played manager mode, then moved on to FIFA Manager, then landed on Football manager. I learned about several teams and learned the basic rules on FIFA and by playing in real life, then got the rest of my knowledge by picking a big team in a well known league and playing it for a few seasons. Eventually you learn. Ironically my learning seems to have stalled now, may have to find another source of knowledge.

Reading is always good!

You should totally read Inverting The Pyramid, if you haven't already. About the history of tactics in the game, but it's also a good read in and of itself, about the history of the game.

[podunkboy]

I grew up watching American indoor soccer that was played professionally locally, and didn't really take an interest in international football until the last couple World Cups. They've only started televising MLS and Premier Football here in the past year or two, so I had to approach my first FM acquisition (off eBay, from someone in Ireland) as a RPG/strategy game crossed with a spreadsheet. Your team is your "character", you build up that character through the acquisition of accessories (players)/power-ups (transfer budget), and you develop a strategy to defeat a series of opponents. If you win enough battles, you level up to a new group of opponents. You lose too many battles, you "re-spawn" at a lower level.

[Auqakuh]

I grew up watching American indoor soccer that was played professionally locally, and didn't really take an interest in international football until the last couple World Cups. They've only started televising MLS and Premier Football here in the past year or two, so I had to approach my first FM acquisition (off eBay, from someone in Ireland) as a RPG/strategy game crossed with a spreadsheet. Your team is your "character", you build up that character through the acquisition of accessories (players)/power-ups (transfer budget), and you develop a strategy to defeat a series of opponents. If you win enough battles, you level up to a new group of opponents. You lose too many battles, you "re-spawn" at a lower level.

"You find a Fellaini of Pointless Two-Footing."

"Someone has discarded a Nani of Random Long Shots. Do you pick it up?"

[SpartyOn]

You don't watch any football?

Pick a random team in the world to be "yours" and start watching highlights of their games. Combine this with starting an FM game in control of that team. That could be fun. Using real fixtures if possible, then you can play along with real life.

This is a good idea.

I'm American and only got into football in the past five years or so. I find it really helpful to watch teams and think about what they're doing in terms of tactics and how I would implement it on FM.

Not a single football. Australia have their own football and we don't subscribe to the sports channel so its hard for me to watch actual games. SBS rarely shows any football games.

There are a lot of ways to watch games online. That might be worth looking into if you're really interested.

[podunkboy]

I'm American and only got into football in the past five years or so. I find it really helpful to watch teams and think about what they're doing in terms of tactics and how I would implement it on FM.

There are a lot of ways to watch games online. That might be worth looking into if you're really interested.

If you don't need immediacy of a live game, youtube has complete matches for some teams, and highlights of even more games. Yesterday I was watching a Wales U21 vs. San Marino U21 complete match. (Yes, it was a slow night at work.)

[CityAndColour]

Not a single football. Australia have their own football and we don't subscribe to the sports channel so its hard for me to watch actual games. SBS rarely shows any football games.

Go out and watch some games then. Football is very big here in Australia, and there are plenty of regional leagues around. Where are you based? You could always go and watch your state's A-League team too, assuming you are in or around a capital city.

[Sheppy12]

Not a single football. Australia have their own football and we don't subscribe to the sports channel so its hard for me to watch actual games. SBS rarely shows any football games.

From this season SBS have the Friday night game from the A-league at 7pm Sydney time, as well as a highlights show on Mondays. They also have a sort of football magazine show on Thursdays which should help you out.

[Ackter]

Reading is always good!

You should totally read Inverting The Pyramid, if you haven't already. About the history of tactics in the game, but it's also a good read in and of itself, about the history of the game.

This is an amazing book, but will be tough going for someone who isn't truly fascinated by tactics.

[SpartyOn]

This is an amazing book, but will be tough going for someone who isn't truly fascinated by tactics.

Agreed. I read it and while I enjoyed much of it and learned a lot, it was information overload for someone with my lack of football knowledge. So many different names I couldn't keep track of.

[thomas_e]

Not a single football. Australia have their own football and we don't subscribe to the sports channel so its hard for me to watch actual games. SBS rarely shows any football games.

SBS shows games the day after don't they? But you're right, watching football in Australia is a tough task. I used to live there last year and that was the only negative about it

If you like reading, there are some good books on football. Also try zonalmarking.net, which is good for understanding tactics.

[towerbooks3192]

If you don't need immediacy of a live game, youtube has complete matches for some teams, and highlights of even more games. Yesterday I was watching a Wales U21 vs. San Marino U21 complete match. (Yes, it was a slow night at work.)

Will have a look at that. Internet connection is not as good as of the moment as I am using a prepaid service. I just moved in to a newly built suburb and I barely get signals here. I haven't thought about it though and most vids I saw are not complete games.

Go out and watch some games then. Football is very big here in Australia, and there are plenty of regional leagues around. Where are you based? You could always go and watch your state's A-League team too, assuming you are in or around a capital city.

I am in Perth but I don't go out much so I don't have a clue where I could watch Football. I barely hear any news about the A-League though I sort of know of its existence through FIFA and the occasional news I could hear/read about Perth Glory.

From this season SBS have the Friday night game from the A-league at 7pm Sydney time, as well as a highlights show on Mondays. They also have a sort of football magazine show on Thursdays which should help you out.

Will check it out. I have problems with SBS and the free-to-air channels with Foxtel. I only knew that they show football after a taxi driver told me about it. I thought it only shows championships but not whole coverage of a league?

SBS shows games the day after don't they? But you're right, watching football in Australia is a tough task. I used to live there last year and that was the only negative about it

If you like reading, there are some good books on football. Also try zonalmarking.net, which is good for understanding tactics.

I sort of get the gist of the positions, at least the basic keeper,defender,mid, and strikers but not about in depth roles and what is the advantage of 4-4-2 and how to counter 4-5-1 and whatnot. I have been trying to address the aspects of FM that confused me over the past years through reading in depth guides but it ends up confusing me more. My other problem is that I could not look at a player's stats at a glance and know that this player is good for this role or this position.

[Lord Rowell]

This is an amazing book, but will be tough going for someone who isn't truly fascinated by tactics.

I also love Inverting the Pyramid but I agree with you it can be tough going.

An easier read is Flat Back Four by Andy Gray. While it might be a tiny bit dated now, its a nice easy and interesting read and gives you the basics.

[Gentleman]

I sort of get the gist of the positions, at least the basic keeper,defender,mid, and strikers but not about in depth roles and what is the advantage of 4-4-2 and how to counter 4-5-1 and whatnot. I have been trying to address the aspects of FM that confused me over the past years through reading in depth guides but it ends up confusing me more. My other problem is that I could not look at a player's stats at a glance and know that this player is good for this role or this position.

I didn`t know that either in the beginning, but there are a few things that later FMs help you for that. For instance, the button 'Highlight attributes for role' helps you in deciding what would be a proper role for a particular player. You probably know that higher numbers means it`s a better match, so you can start from here and look at it as an RPG After setting up a tactic with the players you want, you merely need to see how it works out. If you don`t have a particular favorite team, don`t be afraid to test things. Worst case scenario you get fired and you take up a new job

Also, try watching the games with a bit more coverage, so not only key moments but try a step below Full match and see how your players play. If you see a tendency that you keep losing the ball in midfield or that opponents in midfield execute succesfull attacks, you might want to try to stop that by placing an extra midfielder there. So if you`re playing a regular 4-4-2 now, perhaps you could try if a 4-5-1 counters the problem. If it doesn`t, try to see if something else works. Like I said, worst case scenario is that you get fired and need to pick a new team. Besides, the season starts off with friendly games, so you won`t be judged on those anyway.

There are a couple of positives in watching these games, as you start to learn more about what players play well and which ones don`t. Based on what you see (player keeps passing the ball to an opponent, or everytime a player of yours gets the ball he keeps outpacing his direct opponent) might give you ideas of what the strengths of your team are and then you can build on that. You will develop preferences for particular players based on this because some players play better in a particular position than others, which in turn will shape your team. These games might not be the most interesting ones to see, but if you have no idea of how things work, this is one of the ways to see what works and what doesn`t.

Considering you have read some tactical guides and such, you might want to try reading a bit less complicated things and instead try to read up on a Football Manager story, for instance, this one. Besides a pretty decent story he also describes how he as a manager looks at his squad and makes his decisions. Perhaps it`s farfetched, but you might understand things better from this point of view rather than in-depth guides for people who want to delve into the details of tactics. If you don`t understand the game well enough you need to start with the basics. He explains things pretty clearly about how part-time clubs or youth contracts work, or why he switches from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1 and such things. You do need to match his story-text with your FM though, as he won`t say 'Striker X has good "strength" and "balance" attributes', but rather 'Striker X is strong and when he has the ball, he can hold on to it really well; they won`t throw him off-balance'.

Don`t bother too much with all the individual instructions, but start off first with how a tactic works. If you have no clue about how to counter a 4-5-1 tactic, just watch a match in FM and see how it turns out. If you see that the wide midfielders get the ball often, you have at least a clue what its strengths are. If you see that you win most headers, you at least know that your team has a strength in the air. If you read the above mentioned story, you will see how

Gradually you will learn about your team, your tactics and you strengths and weaknesses. Once you understand those, you can see what logically would solve any problems you encounter. If your striker doesn`t receive any balls, why don`t you move up a player to help him out? Instead of a 4-5-1 a 4-4-1-1 might just be enough to solve that problem. You don`t even need to understand particular roles in order to apply this tactical logic. Only when you have this logic down, you need to look any further and read up about what all these individual roles do.

Hope this helps you out a bit.

[Silent_Thunder]

I started on FIFA and played manager mode, then moved on to FIFA Manager, then landed on Football manager. I learned about several teams and learned the basic rules on FIFA and by playing in real life, then got the rest of my knowledge by picking a big team in a well known league and playing it for a few seasons. Eventually you learn. Ironically my learning seems to have stalled now, may have to find another source of knowledge.

FIFA Manager as a concept pisses me off to no end. It's not really that great of a manager game, but it's features would be really, really nice to have in FIFA proper. But EA couldn't double dip that way, could they. Especially because I'd love to have the English non-leagues in Fifa, but in Fifa Arcade it only goes down to Sky Bet 2.

[phnompenhandy]

Lastly, I heard FM14 handheld has a my club mode, does the PC version allow you to create your own club?

Yes. After you install the game you can download the editor from Steam and use it to create your own club and swap it with a team in a playable league.

[MSCCG]

Reading is always good!

You should totally read Inverting The Pyramid, if you haven't already. About the history of tactics in the game, but it's also a good read in and of itself, about the history of the game.

Yeah I'm really into the books but what I mean is actual knowledge about the relatively obscure leagues. It seems now that I have a set of teams that I know now and I never really have contact with teams outside of that circle because all my time is spent involving myself with them. I used to spend time playing in Denmark, Norway, South Korea etc, but now there doesn't seem to be time. Perhaps it's less of a footballing thing and more of a I have a job and thesis to write thing lol.

[Sheppy12]

Well you are in luck towerbooks because the mighty Central Coast Mariners are in Perth this weekend. 6:30 kick off your time on Saturday.

[towerbooks3192]

I didn`t know that either in the beginning, but there are a few things that later FMs help you for that. For instance, the button 'Highlight attributes for role' helps you in deciding what would be a proper role for a particular player. You probably know that higher numbers means it`s a better match, so you can start from here and look at it as an RPG After setting up a tactic with the players you want, you merely need to see how it works out. If you don`t have a particular favorite team, don`t be afraid to test things. Worst case scenario you get fired and you take up a new job

Also, try watching the games with a bit more coverage, so not only key moments but try a step below Full match and see how your players play. If you see a tendency that you keep losing the ball in midfield or that opponents in midfield execute succesfull attacks, you might want to try to stop that by placing an extra midfielder there. So if you`re playing a regular 4-4-2 now, perhaps you could try if a 4-5-1 counters the problem. If it doesn`t, try to see if something else works. Like I said, worst case scenario is that you get fired and need to pick a new team. Besides, the season starts off with friendly games, so you won`t be judged on those anyway.

There are a couple of positives in watching these games, as you start to learn more about what players play well and which ones don`t. Based on what you see (player keeps passing the ball to an opponent, or everytime a player of yours gets the ball he keeps outpacing his direct opponent) might give you ideas of what the strengths of your team are and then you can build on that. You will develop preferences for particular players based on this because some players play better in a particular position than others, which in turn will shape your team. These games might not be the most interesting ones to see, but if you have no idea of how things work, this is one of the ways to see what works and what doesn`t.

Considering you have read some tactical guides and such, you might want to try reading a bit less complicated things and instead try to read up on a Football Manager story, for instance, this one. Besides a pretty decent story he also describes how he as a manager looks at his squad and makes his decisions. Perhaps it`s farfetched, but you might understand things better from this point of view rather than in-depth guides for people who want to delve into the details of tactics. If you don`t understand the game well enough you need to start with the basics. He explains things pretty clearly about how part-time clubs or youth contracts work, or why he switches from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1 and such things. You do need to match his story-text with your FM though, as he won`t say 'Striker X has good "strength" and "balance" attributes', but rather 'Striker X is strong and when he has the ball, he can hold on to it really well; they won`t throw him off-balance'.

Don`t bother too much with all the individual instructions, but start off first with how a tactic works. If you have no clue about how to counter a 4-5-1 tactic, just watch a match in FM and see how it turns out. If you see that the wide midfielders get the ball often, you have at least a clue what its strengths are. If you see that you win most headers, you at least know that your team has a strength in the air. If you read the above mentioned story, you will see how

Gradually you will learn about your team, your tactics and you strengths and weaknesses. Once you understand those, you can see what logically would solve any problems you encounter. If your striker doesn`t receive any balls, why don`t you move up a player to help him out? Instead of a 4-5-1 a 4-4-1-1 might just be enough to solve that problem. You don`t even need to understand particular roles in order to apply this tactical logic. Only when you have this logic down, you need to look any further and read up about what all these individual roles do.

Hope this helps you out a bit.

Thanks. That is very helpful. I will keep all those things in mind while I do my observations. There is really a huge difference between setting the player to full game compared to seeing key points in matches. I also would prefer learning through FM stories or watching Lets plays on youtube.

Yes. After you install the game you can download the editor from Steam and use it to create your own club and swap it with a team in a playable league.

Is it only available in 2014 and is it easier to use it? I am still thinking if I should get 14 or stick with 13 until I learn the game before really getting serious about it. $50 is a serious commitment for me as of the moment due to budget constraints

Well you are in luck towerbooks because the mighty Central Coast Mariners are in Perth this weekend. 6:30 kick off your time on Saturday.

Live game or I could watch it on the telly? I am unsure if I could watch an actual game in person. If its on telly then I am hoping its on either SBS or ABC as I have problems with 9,7,10 and other channels.

Now on to my question. Stick with the FMs I have (2010-2013) or get 2014? Like I said, $50 is really a very serious commitment for me as of the moment due to budget constraints.

[Sheppy12]

Live game or I could watch it on the telly? I am unsure if I could watch an actual game in person. If its on telly then I am hoping its on either SBS or ABC as I have problems with 9,7,10 and other channels.

It's on at the NIB stadium. It will be on fox sports, but SBS should have highlights on Monday.

[phnompenhandy]

There is an editor for FM13, Quite easy to use but get instructions from the Editors Hideaway forum.

[phantom9in]

I am from the USA, very BASIC soccer(football) knowledge and have been playing since FM09/ Just pick a team, play with them, learn from it, start over...rinse and repeat until you have a good grasp on how the game plays. I have come to enjoy the game and have a new found respect for the RL game.

[abhid30007]

I learned football through FM.....played lost...played lost.....played won.....played lost.....so...so...so.

just play....u'll learn about football as well as about the game as you proceed............and if possible start watching football matches of your fav football team in real life also

[helotiamo]

Just out of interest, why someone who doesn't even watch football games and knows nothing about football would want to play FM?

[phantom9in]

Well, it looked like an interesting game and I enjoy manager style games more that the FIFA style. I was directed to FM09 by a forums poster on the OOTP site, not realizing that FOOTBALL Manager was soccer and not American Football. However, I got the demo and played it, enjoyed it, and now I try to get it every year.

[nickdc]

This is an amazing book, but will be tough going for someone who isn't truly fascinated by tactics.

Indeed it is a good book, but not one that explains tactics, more how they evolved. If you're starting from scratch then as you say it will be a tough read. But the Sacci chapter alone was worth the price.

[towerbooks3192]

I am from the USA, very BASIC soccer(football) knowledge and have been playing since FM09/ Just pick a team, play with them, learn from it, start over...rinse and repeat until you have a good grasp on how the game plays. I have come to enjoy the game and have a new found respect for the RL game.

That is my plan. But as much as possible I don't want to play with real players as I want something really random. I know some videos would say X player on Y team is great and definitely search for players A, B, C for they are geniuses and whatnot. I think I did it with a team in bluesquare bets N/S back in 2012 and managed to win some matches up to the middle of the season. I just didnt have the patience for it nowadays.

I learned football through FM.....played lost...played lost.....played won.....played lost.....so...so...so.

just play....u'll learn about football as well as about the game as you proceed............and if possible start watching football matches of your fav football team in real life also

Like I said, I just need the patience. I remember the days trying to figure out grand strategy games and I reckon knowledge and passion for what you are playing is really important. For example, in war games and grand strategy, I know a good part of what happens in history so I could really appreciate the game and the events in game more. Its the same with football, I am not that passionate as I didn't grow up playing or watching or anything involved with the sport other than for P.E (I used to love it by the way) and despite not being good at the game, its still the first sports game I would pick up in the console (I picked up 2 FIFAs a year or two ago). I like football but I think I am not to the point of really being passionately in love with it. I love the idea of making a team and bringing them from underdogs in to top leagues. I don't want to go in the helm of the big clubs that could throw away money on players costing millions.

Just out of interest, why someone who doesn't even watch football games and knows nothing about football would want to play FM?

I love the strategy and the management aspect of the game. With very watered down games nowadays, I yearn for something challenging and would require more thought than action or reflexes. I love the thought of wearing a suit and really roleplay as a manager of a club. In a management class I had 2 years back, I kind of heard about Sir Alex Ferguson and read about him in my management book and I kind of admire his management skill. Other than that, I grew up loving those tycoon games and I must admit that an old PC game called Capitalism 2 was something I played back when I was 9 and is one of the reasons why I chose to be in business school. I am not really a master of any strategy game but I have experienced games that ranges from something as simple as civilization to something complex like grand strategy games and one of the things that made me want a game that is as complex as possible is that great feeling once you really understand it and the mystery you uncover as you try to learn the game.

Edit: In relation to the game, I have to say that there are a lot of aspects to me that are daunting such as the tactics and how to really play in the transfer market and throw away deadwood and hire potential star players. The other thing that really worries me is what something would do to the strategy of my team like what effects it would have if I would let a player take this role or if I use a particular command (those things like 'pump ball in to box' or 'take a breather' I forgot the name). Reading an in-game guide of those overwhelms me since even the simplest aspects like leagues and pre-season and other stuff is something that I do not know.

[Pipoli]

You don't watch any football?

Pick a random team in the world to be "yours" and start watching highlights of their games. Combine this with starting an FM game in control of that team. That could be fun. Using real fixtures if possible, then you can play along with real life.

I am with this guy..partially. You should watch full real matches, with commentary. This will make you get used to the small situations in the game and not only goals. You will understand dribbles, one-twos, pressure marking, possession football, the thrill of a precise 60-meter pass, etc. By watching a lot of matches you will understand substitutions, tactical variations and what makes a good player and a good team.

I would also recommend you to try to watch English matches (Premier League). This will be your best source for learning "real football" that you can apply to FM later. FM is an English game and so takes a lot of elements/terms from their own reality. I am from Brazil I am immersed in football since an early age, but I remember having to learn a lot of specifics from English Football before mastering the game, back in 2002.

SI has been improving in the latest years, incorporating more 'international' aspects of the game. For example, the roles trequartista/regista (italy), the role Enganche (argentina), the introduction of 4222 as a default formation around 5 years ago. 4222 was played by EVERY team in Brazil in the 90's.

Anyway, watch matches! Hear what the experts say during the matches! That's my hint. Then, you will learn to appreciate FM much more. You will understand the value of a promotion, of the Continental Competitions, of signing a top player or finding a wonderkid.

I'm sure there are ways to watch streams on the internet of Premier League matches.

Good luck and welcome!

[Gentleman]

That is my plan. But as much as possible I don't want to play with real players as I want something really random. I know some videos would say X player on Y team is great and definitely search for players A, B, C for they are geniuses and whatnot. I think I did it with a team in bluesquare bets N/S back in 2012 and managed to win some matches up to the middle of the season. I just didnt have the patience for it nowadays.

Just pick a team like you did in the Blue Square (now Skrill) N/S, chances are high you don`t know any of them Besides, guides that tell you that player X or Y is great doesn`t mean that he`ll be great for your team. Keep that in mind and rely on your own gut feeling (or the ones from your scouts).

Edit: In relation to the game, I have to say that there are a lot of aspects to me that are daunting such as the tactics and how to really play in the transfer market and throw away deadwood and hire potential star players. The other thing that really worries me is what something would do to the strategy of my team like what effects it would have if I would let a player take this role or if I use a particular command (those things like 'pump ball in to box' or 'take a breather' I forgot the name). Reading an in-game guide of those overwhelms me since even the simplest aspects like leagues and pre-season and other stuff is something that I do not know.

If it`s daunting, leave it alone. Just focus on what you do know and understand and start from there. Once you know the basics, you can pick another item to figure out. I`ve been playing this game for about 15 years now and I still find out that some particular commands do something entirely different from what I expected it to do So, bottom line, start with what you do know and build on that rather than trying to understand it all.

Considering you`re still not entirely sure about how things work I`d suggest to stick to the one you have, in order to get familiar with it. Once you`re familiar enough with your play, tactics and whatnot you can always try the new game. But considering you`re still not that much further despite having bought 3 FMs, you really should stick to a single one and learn from that rather than get the new one and find all kind of new things again you need to learn.

[towerbooks3192]

Just pick a team like you did in the Blue Square (now Skrill) N/S, chances are high you don`t know any of them Besides, guides that tell you that player X or Y is great doesn`t mean that he`ll be great for your team. Keep that in mind and rely on your own gut feeling (or the ones from your scouts).

If it`s daunting, leave it alone. Just focus on what you do know and understand and start from there. Once you know the basics, you can pick another item to figure out. I`ve been playing this game for about 15 years now and I still find out that some particular commands do something entirely different from what I expected it to do So, bottom line, start with what you do know and build on that rather than trying to understand it all.

Considering you`re still not entirely sure about how things work I`d suggest to stick to the one you have, in order to get familiar with it. Once you`re familiar enough with your play, tactics and whatnot you can always try the new game. But considering you`re still not that much further despite having bought 3 FMs, you really should stick to a single one and learn from that rather than get the new one and find all kind of new things again you need to learn.

I know, on one hand they add features next year and refine some old ones so I have bought FM 2010 up to 13 hoping it is going to be more understandable and whatnot. Thank you for all your post Gentleman, they are really put them to mind.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Now that exams are over, my lessons in FM would start.